Timeline: Regulator rejects Danske Bank's choice for chief executive

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(Reuters) - Danske Bank (DANSKE.CO), reeling from a money laundering scandal, suffered another setback on Wednesday when the Danish financial regulator rejected its candidate for chief executive on the grounds that he lacked sufficient experience.

It said of the approximately 6,200 accounts it had so far examined most were linked to clients registered in Russia, Britain and the British Virgin Islands and “the vast majority of these customers have been deemed suspicious”.

The following timeline summarises recent developments:

Oct 17 - Danske’s board had asked the financial watchdog to approve Jacob Aarup-Andersen, 40, as its next chief executive. Aarup-Andersen joined Danske in 2016 from Danica Pension and has held the post of head of wealth management since May this year.

While the regulator found he was “well qualified in many areas”, it added “longer experience, including within certain of Danske Bank’s business areas, is needed,” the bank said.

Oct 5 - Danske’s shares are dragged to a four-year low as it seeks to reassure investors over the impact of a U.S. criminal investigation into its Estonian branch.

Oct 4 - Danske says it has “received requests for information from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with a criminal investigation relating to the bank’s Estonian branch”.

Oct 2 - The European Parliament invites a whistleblower in the Danske scandal to testify before its special committee on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance on Nov. 21. Danish newspaper Berlingske a week earlier named him as Howard Wilkinson, Danske’s former head of trading in the Baltics.

Oct 1 - Less than two weeks after saying CEO Thomas Borgen would stay on until a replacement is found, Danske appoints Jesper Nielsen, head of its Danish banking business, as interim chief executive with immediate effect.

Sept 21 - Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) says it is “aware of the use of UK registered companies in this case and has related on-going operational activity”.

Sept 19 - Danske Bank CEO Thomas Borgen resigns pending the selection of a successor after the bank publishes a report on suspected money laundering in Estonia. Borgen tells a news conference: “Even though I was personally cleared from a legal point of view, I hold the ultimate responsibility. There is no doubt that we as an organization have failed in this situation.”

Aug 6 - Denmark’s state prosecutor announces the start of a criminal investigation into Danske over alleged money laundering through its Estonian branch.

July 31 - Estonia’s general prosecutor announces the start of a criminal investigation into Danske over alleged money laundering through its Estonian branch.

July 12 - Bill Browder says he has filed a criminal complaint with Danish authorities against Danske. Browder leads a campaign against Russian officials he blames for the 2009 death of his Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky while investigating fraud.